The present invention generally relates to contact lens and more particularly to the use of holographic optical diffractive optics to provide a myriad of cosmetic looks to the contact lens.
Colored contact lenses have become popular in the last few years. They have the ability to change the color of the wearer's eyes by tinting the iris. The contacts either can have power to correct vision deficiency or no power for not affecting the wearer's vision. Any age group whose members can wear contact lenses (or simply, “contacts”) can wear such colored contact lenses, for example, an actor when the script calls for a certain eye color that that the actor does not possess.
Heretofore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,714 proposes contact lenses that utilize phase zone plate optics, such as phase zone plate bifocals and “tuned” Fresnel lenses making use of concentric annular zones. As such the contact lenses are diffractive multifocal optical elements comprising a phase zone plate of a Cohen lens design containing rotationally symmetrical, curved repetitive patterns designed to operate at a specific wavelength.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,226 proposes contact lenses in which the optical power of the lens is at least partially obtained by utilizing the diffractive effect and at least a part of that diffractive effect is utilized to enable the lens to have the ability to emulate a toroidal or cylindrical lens.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,212 proposes a diffractive contact lens in relief that includes a smoothing layer of optically transparent material having a smooth outside surface and which is placed over the optical surface so as to immerse the relief.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,142 proposes a diffractive, multifocal ophthalmic lens including an apodization zone with echelettes having smoothly reduced step height to shift the energy balance from the near image to the distance image.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,139,146 proposes an ophthalmic lens, which uses a volume HOE (holographic optical element) to provide optical power.
U.S. Published Application No. 2001/0050751 A1 proposes an optical lens having a combination of a volume holographic optical element that provides a diffractive optical power.